The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-109, the 108th mission in the history
of Shuttle flight, will be at Kennedy Space Center this week for the
Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT).
The following events are available to media.
Tuesday, Jan. 29 – To cover the arrival of the STS-109 crew, media must be
at the KSC Press Site no later than 3:30 p.m. Crew arrival will not be
carried live on NASA TV.
Thursday, Jan. 31 — Media representatives have an opportunity to speak
informally with and photograph the entire STS-109 crew. Media interested in
participating in this question-and-answer session should be at the KSC Press
Site by 11:30 a.m. This is a local media event only. No live NASA TV
coverage is planned.
The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight, providing flight
crews with an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities.
The TCDT ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main
engine cut-off. The astronauts also spend time undergoing emergency egress
training exercises at the pad and have opportunities to view and inspect the
payloads in the orbiter’s payload bay.
Following TCDT activities, the crew will depart KSC for final mission
preparations in Houston, Texas.
Mission STS-109 is targeted for launch from Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 28.
The flight is scheduled to last about 11 days and will feature the fourth
servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during five scheduled
spacewalks.
Crew members for mission STS-109 are Commander Scott D. Altman; Pilot Duane
“Digger” Carey; and Mission Specialists John M. Grunsfeld (MS1), Nancy Jane
Currie (MS2), Richard M. Linnehan (MS3), James H. Newman (MS4), and Michael
J. Massimino (MS5).
NOTE: Media are reminded that previously issued annual badges are no longer
valid. Media without newly issued credentials who desire to cover TCDT
events should contact the KSC Press Site for instructions.
